The First Memory
by BeginningDice
Summary: The summer after Buffy is killed a mysterious man visits Dawn,and makes her an offer that will change her life. If you like Dawn or Connor, this is the fic for you.


Disclamer: The character here are the sole property of there original creators. The Buffy, Angel, Batman, Blade, Equilibrium, Bloodrayne, X-Men, DC Comics, Warcraft universes, as well as any other copyrighted material are the sole property of there respective owners, I make no claims to ownership. My only intent is to provide a brief escape from the burden of reality.

Rated M, just as a formality for some nudity, language, violence

Feedback: Always welcome Do not repost without my permission.

The First Memory:

June 11th, 2003

"Tara?" Dawn called out softly from her bed. The noise came again. It was the soft creak of the floorboard in the hallway.

"Willow, is that you?" she asked the darkness from her bed. She was fearful of the darkness in a way she hadn't been since she was little. Dawn peered around her small room, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Her dimmed alarm clock read 2:14am on her nightstand. Everything seemed so dark since mom died…..dark, and dangerous.

_There!_ She heard it again. The squeak was closer this time. Dawn reached behind the lamp on her nightstand and slowly pulled out a small dagger. She starting keeping it there when Glory began to come after her, now that Glory was dead, she decided to keep it there. Especially since Buffy died….

_I thought this might just come in handy….._she thought to herself

Dawns feet slid to the carpet and she crossed to the door quickly her heart in her throat and dagger in hand. She wasn't an imposing figure, just a young girl, her long brown hair framing an innocent face. Her blue eyes belied her intelligence, intelligence that had come from what she seen….the things she had endured. She was only 5'4", barely 100 lbs. But she had courage; she was not without fear, but her actions in the face of that fear told volumes about her character.

Her intention was to throw open the door and slash what was on the other side, flooring it long enough to yell for the witches and make a run for it.

Before she could fling the door open, she heard a light tapping on the other side.

She jumped at the sound, but then calmed down. _It must be Willow or it could be Tara, she always wants to talk about how I'm feeling. My mother dies, a few months later my sister dies. How the fuck does she think I'm feeling, my sister was killed by a god and my mother had a brain tumor. And God only knows what else is out there trying to kill me…_

Tap, tap, tap. Dawn jumped at the sound again. Breaking out of her mental rant, sheathing the dagger and stuffing it into the back of here pajama pants, she opened the door.

_Oh…….shit!_ Dawn's eyes went wide at what she saw on the other side of her door

It wasn't Tara. It wasn't Willow either. There, standing before her was a giant figure robed in a red cloak, with a strange symbol on the chest.

Dawn didn't notice that though. She didn't even notice what she was doing, it was almost automatic…She pulled the dagger and stepped back into a guarding stance, reversing her grip on that dagger as she did.

The hooded figure took two steps forward, to just inside her door; Dawn matched its movement, moving backwards and nearly into her desk.

_SCREAM!...SCREAM, DAMMIT, just open your mouth, you can do it………_she begged herself.

But she couldn't scream. She couldn't even open her mouth as this strange monster walked into her room and slowly closed the door behind itself. It was at least 6'2", maybe taller, and 3 feet wide at the shoulders.

With a wave of its hand the light on Dawn's nightstand came on, blinding her for an instant before her eyes adjusted.

Pulling back its hood, his hood, was an old man. "Hello Dawn." He said looking at here. He had blue eyes, and pure white hair, which was thinning in his old age.

She froze. _He knows my name….He knows I'm the key…..He's here to kidnap me_

_Wait….That symbol…._

Dawn finally saw the symbol on his lapel, she had seen that symbol before and caught herself staring……and so did he.

"Let me first say that I'm not here to harm you in any way and after I make my proposal, I'll leave here."

Dawn said nothing.

"I believe that you have seen this symbol before." He said after a moment, catching her stare.

She hesitated before saying, "Yeah…I have, so what?"

"This symbol is a very important; I believe your mother had something like this. If you'll permit me, and perhaps put away that blade, I will explain myself, including the reasons behind my nocturnal sojourn to your residence and the necessary subterfuge of the matter."

She stared at him blankly a moment, then said: "Explain what? And you'll leave afterward?"

_She is frightened; she is not going to listen as long as she is. _He thought, while simultaneously sending soothing psychic vibrations. He hadn't come here to force her into anything, but she must listen.

"I give you my word, and I am a man who takes such a thing seriously." He replied with a kind smile.

Dawn took out the sheath and slid the dagger back in, her eyes never leaving the stranger in her room.

"Thank you," he said, "May I sit?" He gestured to the chair by her desk.

She nodded slowly; still unsure if she should trust this stranger, still unsure if he simply meant to get her guard down before murdering her in her bed, or raping her, or stealing the key…….

_The key…..he must know about it, that's why he's here…everything is because of it…..everything is because of me._ Dawn thought as the old man took a seat at the desk, sweeping his cloak back, revealing a white silk tunic and a pair of rawhide pants. Dawn sat on the edge of her bed and thought; _This guy must have escaped from a renaissance faire somewhere…_

Dawn could never forget the reason for her sister's death: She had leap to her death in order to close the portal and stop the ceremony merging the keel dimensions with Earth.

"NO." The stranger said this word so strongly that it made Dawn jump. Almost as if he read her mind…

She could only stare at him incredulously, eyes wide.

"You must never blame yourself for your sister's death; she died because of ….well, what she died for is debatable. But it is not because of anything you did." He continued.

"Y-y-you read, m-m-y mind." She stuttered.

"Yes, I did. I apologize. I do not usually invade people's privacy like that, but I sense great turmoil within you." He continued to meet her gaze.

"I've got some creepy old guy in a blood red robe with strange symbols on it sitting in my room at 2 am telling me that he's going to make a proposal and then leave. YES, I'm in turmoil!" She yelled at him.

She looked at the door. He followed her gaze then said "Don't worry; you won't wake up Willow or Tara. The sound coming out of this room is muffled. It is necessary because of what I have to tell you." He added quickly at her look of fear.

_Great, so now if I get murdered at least I won't wake anyone….._

"So, what's so important that you couldn't wait until morning to knock on my door?" She asked timidly.

"Dawn…..you have as incredible legacy that has been laid at your feet. I hope you are thinking clearly because I have come here to offer it to you. A one night offer…..The world, all of them actually." He said with a warm smile and a look of grand confidence.

"Ummm…that's nice and everything…but it's kind of late for this sort of thing….and I haven't had any coffee….you DID wake me up at 2 am…..so why don't you come back in the morning and I'll give you my answer then?" She said sliding off the bed and standing with her arms crossed on the other side of the room.

_OH, MY, GAWD….This creepy old perv want s me to become his teenage bride! _

"Dawn," he said with a smirk, "you don't even know what your obligation for this offer is……and you do not drink coffee."

"I soooo do, really I can't get enough of it, I love coffee, especially black. Nice and bitter, I absolutely need it to get my day started…..Folgers, Maxwell House, it's all good." She lied.

The old man waved his hand over the desk and a large mug of steaming liquid appeared. Dawn could smell it from across the room. He picked up the cup and offered it to her.

_Crap! He knows when I'm lying……he's reading my mind again._

She took the cup and held it in her hand a moment before blowing on it and taking a small sip. Her pride contorted as much as her face did, and she knew it because all of a sudden he let out a hardy laugh.

Dawn began to blush bright red, and stared at the cup. All of a sudden the thick steaming black brew turned into a creamy, frothy brown liquid.

She scrunched her brow at this and looked at the stranger; his reply was "Hot chocolate, extra creamy." As he raised a mug of his own with a nod. Then out of his pocket he produced two peppermint sticks, after putting one in his mug, he offered the other to Dawn.

"My mom always told me not to take candy from strangers." She said with a weak smile.

The stranger laughed again, it was a warm laugh.

His next statement nearly made her drop her mug. "Well, I promised your mother that I would keep an eye on you should anything happen to her, and as for being a stranger, well, you might say that I'm something of a godfather to you."

Dawn's words caught in her throat at this, "You….you knew her?" she asked, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"Perhaps I should start with introductions, my name is Dolcemeous, and your name is Dawn Andrea Summers, Daughter of Jocelyn Barbara Summers." He stated matter-of-factly.

"How did you know her?" Dawn asked taking a seat closer to Dolcemeous.

"For now the 'how' is unimportant except to say that she was an apt pupil……and she helped me once. What is important is the legacy that has been placed at your feet. I'm not sure how much you mother has told you."

"Told me about what? I still have no idea what you're talking about!" She said frustrated. _Is this guy ever going to give me a straighter answer?_

"That makes the story a bit longer", this statement was interrupted by a low gurgle from his stomach. "I hope you don't mind if I eat, I have been traveling for sometime? I would be happy to offer you something?" He continued.

"I'm fine." she said, though she began to feel the pains of hunger in her stomach too. "Actually, I could go for some Wendy's right now. But they're closed, anything you can do?"

"While I cannot exactly reopen the store for you, however I can get you something if you know what it tastes like." Dolcemeous suddenly stretched out his hand, offering it to Dawn. After a moment's hesitation, she took his hand. She noticed it was surprisingly warm, and then she noticed a familiar brown paper bag on her desk.

She took the bag from him and laid its contents out on the bed, neatly on top of the paper bag. The array was two orders of chicken nuggets, a bacon cheese burger, and a frosty.

She looked back and saw Dolcemeous had his own array spread out on her desk. Dawn could see fried egg with Lo Mein, some kind of flatbread, which after he cut it revealed a meat and vegetable filling, like beef wellington and a small wine glass of greenish of liquid.

The old man bowed his head for a moment and closed his eyes in a silent prayer. Dawn waited to dig in respectfully. When he raised his head and began to slice off a piece of his bread, she opened her ranch packet and dug in.

"What I am offering you is exactly what I said; I am offering you every world in existence. What this means is that you will have the power to go anywhere, do anything, meet anyone, within reason of course." He paused to take a bite and savor the rich steak.

"What kind of power is this? And what's my end of the deal?" Dawn jumped in

"This power is within you. Let me start from the beginning, more precisely the day you were born." He continued after taking a bite of twirled Lo Mein. "I was there that day, there were many people there. Your parents had no idea what was in store for you, only dreams-"

"What's in store for me?" Dawn interrupted

"Endless waiting for an old man to regain his train of thought after each question. Patience is a virtue, and it will serve you well regardless of what you choose tonight. On that day, one of the chosen was born," He paused here to make sure she wasn't going to interrupt again. "one of those chosen to be trained, and possibly to one day succeed the Guardian." He stopped here and ate for a moment.

"What's the Guardian, and it sounds like you're looking for my sister, she's the slayer…..at least she was. If I was supposed to be this guardian why wasn't I trained, or even told?" Dawn rapidly asked.

Dolcemeous looked at her and said simply "You were."

When she gave him a quizzical look he explained:

"You were told that you possess the key. You should not have been told before you were formally trained, however in this case, it may work to your benefit. As for beginning your training, your mother saw to that well." He pointed at her book case which contained books not normally seen on the bookcase of a 13 year old girl, including Le Morte De Arthur, several books of logic games, Plato's Republic, The Illiad, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and several of her mother's graduate art texts. "You were given the best possible training that the traditions and rules allowed Dawn. You were taught how to _learn_."

Dawn was trying to put things together in her mind, but there where still pieces missing.

_Ok, think Dawn, Magic, Guardian, mom teaching me something, the Key…..you put it all together and you get?_

_A headache……_

"I have the power to protect something? I can call on special powers since I'm the Key? And, why did you say I possess the key? I am the Key." Dawn was still perplexed.

Dolcemeous looked at her a moment before taking a sip of the green liquid in his glass.

"Who told you that you were the Key?"

"My sister…..well…actually I found out from Giles well his diary anyway, but THEY found out from this Italian monk who Glory came after because he hid the key when…….he, made me." She was very confused now.

He took a more solemn and serious tone in answering her.

"Yes, Brother Antonelli, his death…was a great lose to those who knew him. Dawn, I am not sure where the error in transition occurred, but under no circumstances did Brother Antonelli 'create' you. He was a bookkeeper; he kept records of demons and events on this world. He did not have that kind of power, there are few who do." Dolcemeous leaned in resting a hand on her knee. "The Key is not a person, it is raw, unadulterated power. The power to-"

"'-Slice through the dimensional boundries merging all of hell with earth, blah blah blah. I know, I went through this right before I was almost killed." Dawn said angrily

"No," he said patiently, though Dawn detected a slight annoyed posture, "what Glorificous attempted to do to you was a dark spell in order to harness the key's power. Her intentions of merging hell with this world were entirely her own." He paused and sat up yet again to take a bite of food.

_Is this guy ever going to complete a friggin thought?! This isn't daytime soaps I don't need the dramatic pauses._ Dawn thought frustrated while taking a large bite of her cheeseburger. She was surprised, it was really good. The bread was toasted, the bacon crisp and the burger wasn't burnt.

_She isn't ready for this yet. But we are out of time. If she is to even have a chance to prepare for what is to come, she must choose tonight. _Dolcemeous ran over in his mind the timetable he had drawn up. Originally he has planned to insert himself a few months or even a year or two later into the girl's life, and slowly, through osmosis allow her to realize what she was. _Damn all the things in existence that would cut short the innocence of a child!_

He lifted his head and began to speak again. "The key is the power to unlock the boundaries between dimensions. It resides within you, but you have not been given the knowledge to use it because you are not ready yet." At this Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but Dolcemeous raised a calloused hand and spoke first. "In all honesty think to yourself what you would to with the power to instantly move between two places through sheer force of concentration, great knowledge and even greater practice."

Dawn thought for a second and then hung her head staring down at the floor. She knew the old man was right, but that wasn't as bad as him knowing that she knew it. She absent-mindedly munched on a chicken nugget for looking at him and saying, "Yeah, I would have a lot of fun with it, ok, you're right," with a roll of her eyes. "But I would do good stuff too!" she insisted jumping up and beginning to pace the small area in front of her bed. "I could save people from burning buildings and stop terrorists and never have to drive so I would save the environment and nobody would die and I could help the police and end wars and save the world!" She stopped to take breath and noticed the old man staring at her. Those bright blue eyes were peering into her very soul. Dawn suddenly felt very foolish, like a small child put in front of a group of people and expected to perform some talent that she didn't possess.

"What am I supposed to do with this power?" She asked more meekly at a moment had passed.

Dolce looked at her a moment and said, "Why, you outlined a few of your responsibilities nicely. While the Slayer is called to combat the evils of this world, to police the hellmouth and so on, the Guardian is called and trained to watch the borders of the dimension. As you said, the job is like your sister's but on a much larger scale, and with that increase in scale comes an increase in ability."

Dawns eyes went wide at this and her hands folded in her lap suddenly became extremely interesting. _No way, no way, no way, this guy is asking me to save the world, how am I supposed to do that? Yeah, sure, so I can move travel from dimension to, how is that going to help me? And what happens when someone else comes, sure I can get away but what if I'm with someone and-_

"Dawn," Her head shot up and she looked at him, "should you choose this path, you will have a great power, with that power also comes the responsibility to protect those that cannot protect themselves. You will battle many things as the Guardian. Not just physical enemies, but emotional and mental demons as well." A slight shadow came over his face when he said this. "The path ahead is a harsh one….one that, in my own time, I chose. Take it from someone that has been there." His eyes darkened a bit as he continued. "This path is a most dangerous one, one that may lead to isolation from those that you love, one that made lead to an early death. But on the same token, you will have the power to help others. And there is truly no greater way to live your life." He finished his little pitch. "But the choice is yours and yours alone. Understand both the benefits and the risks."

She stared at his, her mind racing at the possibilities. "I –"

"You should take your time, and think about this." He said.

"I have a question".

"Go ahead." He replied.

She hesitated a moment before saying "With this whole ability to cross dimensions…….would I be able to travel through time?" It was a stupid question and a blatantly obvious one.

His face softened when he heard this, he understood her meaning right away. He almost did not want to answer it. "I'm sorry Dawn, that you lost your mother. And your sister, but you will not be able to save them from their fate, their life has a purpose as did their deaths."

He sat there a moment and her face twitched and his heart began to ache for this young one who had already experienced so much pain.

Dawn face was twitching due to the sheer will power it was taking her not let it begin to twist and contort. She could have easily broken down right here and now, but she wasn't going to let herself to that. She was stronger than that. She could push the pain down, and eventually it would go away….

"_If_ I decide to accept your offer…..what happens?" She said in a small and hoarse voice.

As he handed her a glass of water that seemed to appear out of no where he said, "You will be taken to be trained formally. You will learn everything you need to survive, how to fight, how to move, how to think. You will learn magic, and many other thing pertinent to your new…position." He hesitated at the last word, searching for the proper one.

"I….accept your offer" Dawn said. Any light heartedness brought on by mystical chicken was gone. Her heart was heavy, her eyes empty and morose.

"Please, think very carefully before accepting" Dolce said after a moment.

"I don't have anything to think about" she said. "I have nothing and no one here. Death came for the rest of my family….I'm ready to die, if it happens to be helping someone all the better. There is no one to tie me here" She repeated.

The old man looked at her for a moment, before waving his hand to remove the remains of their meal. _This is a very dangerous place for you to begin young one. I hope that the training instills some optimism._ He though standing up and throwing his cloak back around himself.

"Take my hand, and you shall begin your training." He said offering his right hand to her.

"Right now?" She said the surprise evident in her voice. "But don't I need to pack, or weapons, or to visit Diagon Alley or something?"

He smiled as he took on a much more authoritarian posture and said "Everything you need will be provided for you when you arrive."

She slowly lifter her hand, but hesitated again. "What about Willow and Tara, if they come in and find me missing they'll be-"

"I thought you said you had no one to tie you down here?" he asked.

She looked at the nightstand, noticing the time: 2:51am

Then she took his hand. Dawn vision flashed brightly and suddenly the old man was gone and she was spinning, spinning and tumbling, turning everyway possible, she felt so light headed, like she was going to pass out. And she did.

The girl awoke with a start. She was naked under the covers of a bed. Dawn became aware herself and her surroundings quickly. She glanced over at the clock: 2:52am. She was in her old room again. She had asked not to be sent back her. She waited a moment, but this time the sickening wave of nausea and the migraine didn't come.

_Oh well, looks like the fucked me over again, not like it's the first time….and why can't the pervs upstairs ever give me any clothes. _She thought as she killed the lamp with a wave of her hand.

After donning light pink pajamas covered in dancing cows, Dawn walked over to the door, and opened it, intending to head downstairs to check the date. And retrieve her mother's Ruger P89 from the metal vase on the mantel. She had found it when she was 11, but never said anything about it. Now she didn't care about much save getting her hands on a weapon._ I'll check Her old weapons chest too….won't be anything up to my standards but there may be a temporary solution._ If worse came to worse Dawn could summon her sword, but she did not want to attract attention with that type of spell. The magical ripples may alert something none too friendly

Dawn cautiously twisted the knob and opened the door just a crack and saw someone moving down the hall. Dawn froze for a moment. Vampire, she could sense it before she even opened the door.

_That's why I'm so edgy…_She thought. She didn't move only observed. When the faint smell of Newport's and cheap beer hit her, she knew who it was.

She stepped out into the hallway. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she said in a low voice.

The creature whirled, startled, he had not heard her approach. This was because she did not want him to.

"I Uh, was um, uh, I was just looking to see all was right in your neck of the woods bit." Spike said as he held one of his hands behind his back.

_He took something….something of Her's.,,oh well, it's not like she needs it anymore …_

"Oh, ok." She replied in her girly voice. She was a good actor, but right now her patience was wearing thin: she wanted a weapon, and she wanted one now.

"Welllll, its late….so I'll see you later," Dawn said, heading for the bathroom, hoping that he would see an opportunity to leave with whatever he stole and take advantage of it.

"Right, well, I better be off then, creature of the night and all, things to do, evil to slay and all that, 'night bit." He stammered before spinning and walking down the steps, still concealing what was in his hand.

She let him go and didn't ask what was on his mind. I'll track him down later. He's going to find out about me soon enough….

_Chances are I'll run into him on my rounds. I could use him, he has the local contacts that I'll need…we'll need to do something about the soullessness. _She thought closing the door to the bathroom and turning on the water in the sink.

She didn't turn on the light: the nightlight above the toilet was bright enough for any human to see by, let alone Dawn. She splashed some water in her eyes and stared at her reflection in the mirror for a few moments. Her face was longer and thinner then it was the last time she was here, there were dark circles under her eyes….she hadn't taken care of herself this last time.

_Fuck…he must have noticed and if he doesn't he'll remember the next time he sees me. I need to take care of that now…_

Dawn locked the bathroom door, and turned on the light, not so she could see: her night vision was excellent, but to let anyone who came knocking know that the room was occupied for the time being.

The not-so-young girl sat cross legged in the middle of the bathroom floor, her head bowed and her long brown hair draped over her shoulders. She was searching with her mind, looking for the bio signature of a certain bleach-blonde vampire. Suddenly she raised her head, her eyes, opaque white.

_There you are, now to deal with that pesky hippocampus without paralyzing the poor bastard. Or turning him into a drooling retard…_

She concentrated on the bio signature, focusing on Spike, tracking his body. She could feel his cold skin and pushed past it into his heart, it was lifeless and atrophied. Quickly finding the aorta, she tracked it into his brain until she found the temporal lobe. Dawn felt Spike stop moving, he was in a cemetery now, she wasn't sure which one.

_Move kid, move. _Dawn created varying charges in his brain until she felt the bio-sign change from the seizure she had created, erasing his short-term memory. _Sorry Spike, can't have you blowing my cover yet._ She thought standing up. Dawn moved to the door, extinguishing the overhead light before opening the door.

She listened carefully for sounds before proceeding downstairs and into the living room, setting about her original business of finding adequate weapons until her weapons, armor and, hopefully her orders arrived.

_This had better be a quick one, maybe if I'm lucky I can get outta here in a few hours._

She saw the metal vase on the mantel and took it down. Her mood immediately improved, as she peered and saw the handgun. Reaching in, she took out the body and the magazine that was under it. Dawn switched on a small lamp in order to inspect the gun. The gun was in excellent condition for something that hadn't been touched in at least 6 months. She peered down the barrel and froze; her heart seemed to stop for several full seconds. The exact time it took a drop of clear, colorless liquid rolled down the barrel and dropped to the floor.

_It's been cleaned. In the last hour. _Dawns had to force herself to breathe. Suddenly she felt a familiar presence behind her and didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her arms and head dropped for a moment, as she grinned sheepishly at the floor, her muscles unlocking.

"Thanks Gabe." The young woman said before turning around. There he was, smiling dimly at her. Gabriel was 6'2" and 225 pounds of well defined muscle. He stood there in his loose fitting black canvas pants and symbol covered red Tirisfallan sash running diagonally across his chest, his broadsword behind his back and his arms crossed, while he leaned against the wall. He was her angel, the one always looking out for her, no matter what, and she could always trust him. One of her generals, her confidants and her closest allies.

"Always," He said simply.

"Where's Michael?" She asked turning around.

"He's gone to survey things briefly, arrange for your gear to be brought and he is trying to track down Skip." Gabe replied, his face shifting to a slightly concerned look. "Something's been going on recently; Skip has had a lot more on his plate than he should."

"Got dates yet?" She asked.

"Yes". When he didn't elaborate, she asked "And they are?"

"You've been sent back a few moments after you left."

She didn't reply, as she reached over and turned off the light she turned on.

"I'll deal." She said as she return to the weapon and clip in her hands, she inserted the magazine into the gun, feeling the click of the mechanism catching it. Dawn pulled back the hammer, and let go, slamming a round into the chamber with a sharp CLACK.

She thumbed the weapon over to condition one: "cocked and locked"-

CLINK!

The hammer fell. She couldn't carry the gun with the hammer up, easy to fire. "Shit, I need my Colt, or my Beretta."

"I'll try and put a rush on your gear." he said. She detected a hint of disapproval in his voice. This was the same argument they'd been having for the last god only knew how many years. Dawn never broke for a rest. She always jumped head first into whatever mission she was assigned, which was why she was so loved by those in power. She got the job done fast, and rarely touched anything other then her own personal resources and contacts.

"Gabe….I don't want to be here," she said, leaning her forehead against her arm on the wall, the sickness was coming; she could feel it deep in her belly. "I….won't be able to stomach this place long."

He walked up to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She turned her head towards him and said "If you haven't heard from Michael in 18 hrs, go to the council and set up a meeting, for 0100 tomorrow."

He nodded and walked around the corner, vanishing into the darkness.

She waited a moment, and then walked over to weapons chest…..

_Her old chest…_

Looking inside, she didn't see anything that she could use at the moment. Dawn needed something quiet and concealable. Concealable was VERY important.

She didn't see anything that caught her eye, she grabbed a two 9 inch daggers, similar to her personal knives. They would be too bulky to conceal on anything she'd wear in the central California summer. She closed the lid and stood up, turning to see Michael. She had been lost in thought but his presence hadn't escaped her notice; that kind of thing would get a girl dead quick.

"What news?" she said before taking a closer look at him. He was battered and bruised, not horribly, but his chin and cheek were bruised on the left side of his face, his bottom lip was split and his left hand was cradling what she believed were cracked or broken ribs on the right side of his body. Her face went soft with concern, as she dropped the daggers on the ottoman, tucked the pistol in the back of her waistband and crossed the room.

"Ran into a little trouble with Skip." He said avoiding her gaze

Dawn slipped under his good arm and said "Come with me.", he opened his mouth to protest but fell silent when he saw the look on Dawn's face. She walked him into the kitchen, it was a bit of a tight squeeze in the hallway, but she set him down on one of the barstools at the island.

"What happened?" she asked opening the freezer door and retrieving some ice for his face.

"I left to find him and get your gear and orders. I started at his office in the Contrition dimension and tried to track him from there. I caught up with him trying to quell a riot in one of his prison dimensions..." he winced as Dawn applied the ice to his face.

"Hold that there" his boss said as she went to the pantry to retrieve a gauze bandage for his ribs. There was a first aid kit in almost every room in the house. It was a necessity in the Summers house.

"I'm guessing Skip fared a little better?" she asked returning with the supplies she needed.

"What with rock skin? A little, he was still a little battered, he told me that your gear should be available for access by tomorrow and orders should arrive around 0900 this afternoon." They both glanced at the clock on the microwave, it read 3:21. Dawn pushed Michael's sash down his shoulder, so she could bind his ribs. Michael helped by removing his arm from it and raising both arms shoulder level so she could begin. Gabriel and Michael could have been brothers, same chin, mouth, and body type. Different eyes though, the eyes always told so much. Gabe's were dark and deep brown, very thoughtful, while Michael's were a sparking blue. They were near mirror images…save their personality and their hair; while both had dark brown hair, Michaels was as few finger lengths longer, and a bit more unkempt to Gabriel straight formed crew cut. As for personality, Michael was the more adventurous of the two; he was still very much in love with the cause and hadn't seen some carnage that Gabe had. Dawn smiled at him, as he recounted his tale, like a mother cleaning the cleaning the skinned knee of a child while he told the daring imaginative narrative by which he acquired it.

After he finished neither of them spoke. Neither of them needed to. They could both tell what was on the others mind. _What will the mission hold this time, how close had Michael(I) been to death, what is this looming shadow…._

Dawn wrapped the gauze tightly around his ribs; murmuring apologies each time she made him wince in pain. The tightness would help them heal faster, and properly. Dawn had finished wrapping, but she did not have time to finish tying it off before the sickness swept over her.

She brought her hand to her forehead as the migraine began, then the nausea. He pressure in her head was intense and her stomach began to knot. She literally felt like she was being twisted at the midsection like an old G.I. Joe doll, with the intention of tearing it in two.

_It's ripping me……aapppart!! _

"Gahh!!" Dawn expelled the sound like it was a poison. She felt like her head was going to explode in a violent fountain of gray matter, but that was only a piece of it. She could deal with the nausea, her cramping stomach…she was, of course, a woman. But the wave of dizziness combined with her location, caused a panic attack, closing of the air supply to her lungs. Dawn passed out, the last thing she remembered was falling….falling through time and space and air….falling so deep, that she though she'd be happy if she never woke up.


End file.
